Invicta Fighting Championships crowned a new atomweight champion in a thrilling main event on Friday night in Houston, Texas. Brazilian grappling specialist Hérica Tibúrcio submitted Michelle “The Karate Hottie” Waterson to win the title in the Invicta Fighting Championships 10 Fight of the Night.
The $1500 Fight of the Night award was not the only bonus that Tibúrcio pocketed on Friday. She also earned a $1000 Performance of the Night bonus for her impressive submission finish. Mexican striker Alexa Grasso also took home a Performance bonus for her quick stoppage of Alida Gray.
Tibúrcio (9-2-0) took the fight to the ground early in round one after catching a Waterson (12-4-0) body kick and she avoided an armbar attempt from the defending champion. The fighters returned to their feet and Tibúrcio landed knees in the clinch, but Waterson threw her to the mat and briefly held mount. Tibúrcio swept into top position, but Waterson remained active from her back and she attacked with triangle choke and armbar attempts before the end of the round.
Waterson reversed an early takedown in round two and punched from the top in order to break free from a Tibúrcio heel hook. The fight returned to the feet and Waterson’s left eye began to swell shut. She jumped guard and Tibúrcio moved from North-South position to side control. She had Waterson in all sorts of trouble with a keylock and an armbar, but time expired and Waterson was saved by the bell.
In round three, Tibúrcio caught a side kick and took Waterson down into North-South position. She transitioned to side control and then pulled guard with an arm-in guillotine choke. Waterson could not escape and tapped out on the mat, giving Tibúrcio a huge victory at the 1:04 mark of round three. She extended her current winning streak to four with the thrilling victory and became the third woman to hold the Invicta FC Atomweight Championship.
Earlier on the card, Grasso (6-0-0) kept her undefeated record intact with another dominant first-round stoppage win. The Mexican rising star finished recent WSOF title challenger Alida Gray (4-2-0) with punches early in the pair’s featured strawweight bout.
Grasso rocked Gray with a combination in the opening minute and she followed with more punches as Gray retreated to the cage. The Texas native recovered and landed some hard shots of her own, but Grasso stayed calm and picked her shots with counters. She dropped Gray with a four-punch combo that was punctuated by a left hook and swarmed on her with more punches for the TKO stoppage at the 1:47 mark of round one. Grasso has won back-to-back fights for Invicta FC this year.
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Thanks, Andy. Sorry that I don’t have as much time as I used to have for posting articles each day, but I do what I can. I appreciate the kind words.